1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a building structure which is portable and collapsible. The building structure is lightweight and collapsible to a compact shipping and transporting position. This is accomplished by a plurality of hinge assemblies that permit the side and end walls, roof and floor to lie flat upon one another to minimize the size of the building structure in its collapsed position.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In manufacturing facilities, it is commonplace to protect parts and assemblies during manufacturing from airborne contaminants, such as dust, particles, water, etc., so as to prevent such contaminants from contacting the parts during assembly or during idle downtime. This is particularly important in painting, spraying and coating operations which require extreme cleanliness of the prepared surface before painting, etc., and protection of the painted surface until the paint has completely dried.
To accomplish this, it is common to surround painting and spraying areas in a manufacturing facility with an enclosure to retain airborne paint particles within the enclosure and to prevent other contaminants from contacting the part surfaces. Such enclosures typically incorporate a skeletal framework of spaced, interconnected members to which a number of frame panels, typically rigid members made of steel or other material, are mounted.
While the use of such a building structure is effective at containing the airborne particles within a given area or protecting parts from airborne contaminants, the cost of such a rigid panel enclosure is high especially since long distances must be covered and considerable installation time is required to install the framework in the manufacturing facility and to attach the rigid panels thereto. The high cost of previously devised enclosures has prevented their use over large portions of conveyor lines in manufacturing plants and, thus, the parts are left unprotected after painting, spraying, coating, etc., and between initial surface preparation and painting etc., and are vulnerable to dust, water and other airborne contaminants.
Building structures have also been designed for other applications, such as greenhouses, tents, etc., which use a single, flexible sheet or cover which is placed over and attached to a skeletal framework. This building structure also forms an effective containment shield or barrier surrounding a given area. However, it has been found that it is difficult and time consuming to install a large, single piece cover to a large skeletal framework. This increases installation time and adds to overall manufacturing costs.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a containment shield which can be installed at the use site in a minimum amount of time. It would also be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which has reduced manufacturing costs. It would also be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which does not require a skeletal framework to be installed at the use site for attachment of rigid frame panels thereto. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which can be constructed in any configuration for widespread use in many different applications.
The increasing world population (now five billion) has led to housing shortages worldwide. These shortages are also increasing due to the number of people left homeless from natural disasters. Accordingly, there is a need for low cost housing that may be easily transported and assembled where needed, and later disassembled and moved.
While many attempts have been made to provide portable building structures, these structures suffer from numerous disadvantages. Many of these structures are heavy, complex and costly to make, and difficult to assemble and disassemble. In addition, many of these building structures require constant maintenance; for example, wooden structures tend to splinter and constantly need to be waterproofed. Moreover, these building structures tend to corrode due to air pollutants and rust, rot or mildew due to adverse weather conditions. Also, many of the prior art devices require special tools for assembly and disassembly.
Examples of these prior building structures are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: U.S. Pat. No. 617,043 to Phifer; U.S. Pat. No. 1,062,976 to Jackson; U.S. Pat. No. 1,149,213 to Neuberth; U.S. Pat. No. 1,469,525 to Nadolney; U.S. Pat. No. 1,481,142 to Minton et al; U.S. Pat. No. 2,207,836 to Sundell; U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,984 to Walsh; U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,949 to Hurkamp; U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,987 to Johansson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,253 to Hatcher; U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,501 to Zimmer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,973 to Gangemi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,554 to Schaffer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,944 to Gianardi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,949 to Wahlquist; U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,676 to Alfonso; U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,964 to Robinson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,343 to O'Brian et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,969 to Bartlett; U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,300 to Lew et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,475 to Berridge; U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,985 to Bard et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,684 to Petree et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,170 to Lew; U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,132 to LeBlanc; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,155 to Nahmias; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,653 to Napier et al.
This invention addresses these needs discussed above in the art, along with other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.
Numerous innovations for a collapsible structure having shipping properties have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.